Actors who got their start on Disney Channel have starred in plenty of entertaining films over the years. The accomplished children’s channel is known to produce some notable names in Hollywood, with many of the most well-known Disney Channel stars leading successful careers after their time with the channel was up. Having the freedom to branch out as an actor, these stars have dabbled in various genres, including moving drama films, showstopping musicals, and hilarious comedies.
Serious films like The Iron Claw and The Fallout, starring Zac Efron and Jenna Ortega, respectively, show a different side to the beloved actors that audiences rarely saw while they were on Disney Channel. This shift in one’s career and public perception isn’t always easy to pull off, but these stars did just that. Following their Disney Channel days, these actors played a role in films that are celebrated by audiences and a few that hit it out of the park with critics, too.
10 Blended (2014)
Starring Bella Thorne
Though Blended is considered Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore’s worst film together, it’s still got enough charm to satisfy audiences, and it features a supporting performance by former Disney Channel star Bella Thorne. The film sees Sandler and Barrymore as two single parents who vow to never see one another after a blind date goes wrong. However, the two wind up at the same resort and are forced to merge their families together.
Having starred in Shake It Up, Thorne gained attention as half of the series’ lovable duo. In Blended, Thorne plays a similarly relatable role as Hilary, the oldest daughter of Sandler’s character Jim. Admittedly, Blended is stuffed with overused clichés and fails to bring anything new to the rom-com subgenre. Still, Sandler and Barrymore have great chemistry, and there’s enough humor to make for an easy viewing.
9 A Cinderella Story (2004)
Starring Hilary Duff
Telling a modernized version of the classic Cinderella folk tale, A Cinderella Story stars Hilary Duff in one of her first major movie roles post-Lizzie McGuire. In the film, Duff plays Sam, the Cinderella character, who works at her stepmother’s diner and finds herself in an anonymous text-messaging relationship with a mysterious boy at her school. Duff fits well as the girl-next-door character as she navigates the traditional high school pressures to fit in.
A Cinderella Story is set in California, with unique architecture that allows the fairytale elements of the famous story to be brought to life. Additionally, supporting performances by Jennifer Coolidge, Regina King, and Chad Michael Murray help translate the iconic roles of the wicked stepmother and prominent love interest into the framework of a lighthearted rom-com. The success of A Cinderella Story led to a series of similar films being released, led by other former Disney Channel stars such as Selena Gomez, Sofia Carson, and Laura Marano.
8 Crossroads (2002)
Starring Britney Spears
Before Britney Spears was recognized as the